Development and the African Diaspora: Place and the Politics of Home, (Hardcover)

There has been much recent celebration of the success of African 'civil society' in forging global connections through an ever-growing diaspora. Against this background, this innovative book sheds light on the diasporic networks - 'home associations' - whose economic contributions are being used to develop home. Although the amount of migrant remittances sent back to the South is now greater than official development assistance, the relationship between this flow of capital and social and political change is still poorly understood. Focusing on Cameroon and Tanzania, Development and the African Diaspora examines the networks of migrants that have been created by making home associations international. The authors argue that claims in favour of enlarging civil society in Africa must be placed in the broader context of the political economy of migration and wider debates concerning ethnicity and belonging. They demonstrate both that diasporic development is distinct from mainstream development and that it is an uneven historical process in which some 'homes' are better placed than others to take advantage of global connections. This book engages critically with the current enthusiasm among policy-makers for treating the African diaspora as an untapped resource for combating poverty. Its focus on diasporic networks, rather than private remittances, reveals the particular successes and challenges diasporas face in acting as a group, not least in mobilizing members of the diaspora to fulfil obligations to home.